- CHAPTER 04
“Stepmother. You never said it was okay.”
“What?”
“You told us to leave, but you never said it was okay.”
“I didn’t?”
Reina tilted her head at Haldeir’s words, then quickly laughed it off like it was nothing.
Grabbing both of Haldeir’s hands and shaking them cheerfully, she said in a bright voice:
“Hal, don’t overthink it.”
“…”
“Even if it wasn’t okay, what could she do? Do you think she’s going to punish us?”
“No, not that…”
“It’s fine.”
“You’ve been acting a little different lately—”
“Enough! Let’s go! I feel gross. I need a shower.”
Reina patted Haldeir’s shoulder like she was brushing something off and tugged on his arm with a mischievous smile.
Her smile usually lifted Haldeir’s mood and chased away any lingering worries—but not this time. This time, an uneasiness stuck with him.
Why can’t I shake this feeling?
As Reina dragged him away, Haldeir glanced back toward the study, unease still heavy in his chest.
That day marked my first arrival at the Duke’s estate with His Grace.
The day I was introduced, I couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes—four pairs of cold, assessing stares pierced through me.
According to the Duke, the children were shy and rarely spoke. No matter how gently he tried to get them to greet me, they remained silent. Eventually, he took Kailan’s hand and said,
“Kailan. As the eldest, I hope you’ll help your new stepmother adjust to life in the duchy.”
“…Yes.”
“Thank you. Bella, this is our eldest, Kailan. He’s intelligent—and handsome, like me.”
“Nice to meet you, Kailan. I look forward to getting to know you.”
“Yes.”
After coaxing a response out of Kailan, the Duke managed to get brief replies from Anna, Haldeir, and Reina as well. He then asked them to formally greet me.
Although none of them looked at me as they spoke.
“Hrk… M-Mama…”
Right after greeting me, Reina burst into tears.
Flustered, the Duke ended the introductions abruptly.
I smiled at him gently to reassure him it was okay. Still holding the sobbing Reina in his arms, he nodded and called a servant to escort me to the room that had been prepared.
Anna and Haldeir stood protectively around the Duke and Reina like a small fortress. Watching them, I wondered if I’d ever truly fit into this family.
The Duke tried often to create opportunities for me to bond with the children. But they rejected every attempt.
Eventually, after several days of thought, he took a more forceful approach:
“Starting today, everyone must attend dinner. No exceptions. We eat together—no matter what.”
Reina protested passionately, but the Duke silenced her resistance with a firm declaration:
“This is an order from your Duke.”
At first, the children rebelled with complete silence during dinner. But the Duke ignored them and continued to speak only to me, as if we were the only ones present. Over time, they grew tired of the cold war and gave up.
Later, they tried to isolate me instead—talking about things only they knew, intentionally excluding me. But I had expected this.
Still, I held on, thinking things would improve someday. But we were stuck in the same place.
The Duke, juggling conversations with me and trying to draw out the children, spent every evening busy at the table. Because of his persistence, this tradition of shared dinners continued—even after his disappearance.
And even now, it goes on.
“I need to tell you something. It might seem sudden, but please hear me out.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to stay out of the study for a while.”
Bella said it casually and took a sip of the warm soup in front of her.
“A month away, and the first thing you do is ban us from the study. Wow.”
As expected, Anna’s sarcastic jab came flying. But Bella simply smiled, unfazed.
“I didn’t say never go in.”
“Sure sounds like you did.”
“It’s a little disappointing you’d twist my words that way.”
Then Kailan, who had been quiet all this time, spoke coldly.
“What exactly do you mean?”
At the mention of the study, Haldeir and Reina noticeably flinched.
All of them respected Kailan, but Reina in particular seemed especially nervous today—perhaps because she had something to hide.
“Well… yesterday, in the study—”
Sniff—
Just as I began to respond to Kailan, Reina looked visibly anxious. Her lips trembled, and then—she suddenly burst into tears.
“Reina? What’s wrong?”
“What happened?”
Haldeir and Anna quickly rushed to comfort her, confused by her sudden breakdown.
Through teary, shimmering eyes, Reina looked at me and whimpered,
“Is this… because of me?”
With her red, tear-stained face, Reina looked like the picture of innocence—someone anyone would want to comfort.
She was known for her angelic beauty, the most beloved daughter in the family. If she wanted something, no one denied her.
Even missteps or mistakes—she usually danced her way around them with ease.
And even knowing all this, Bella didn’t hesitate to speak.
“Oh, Reina. No, this isn’t your fault. Don’t cry.”
Her tone was gentle, like one would use with a delicate flower caught in a light drizzle.
But Reina looked up in alarm, her shoulders twitching. She stared at Bella with wide, confused eyes.
Bella smiled back warmly.
“…What?”
“I mean it. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“No, I… that’s not…”
“Reina, what’s going on?” Anna asked, watching her fumble for words.
“W-What?”
Reina stared at Bella, trying to make sense of what she’d heard. She then darted a glance toward Kailan—who was silently watching her.
“I-It’s just…”
As soon as her eyes met Kailan’s, Reina shrank. Her fingers fidgeted nervously under the table.
“It’s nothing serious,” I said, trying to calm things down.
But Reina bit her lip tightly and tugged on Haldeir’s sleeve.
“Hal…”
Her trembling voice called for him. Haldeir leaned toward her, then looked at me and said,
“It’s not Reina’s fault! I was the one who asked her to go into the study—”
“Reina. Haldeir.”
The moment Kailan said their names, his voice cold and quiet, Haldeir instantly fell silent.
“After dinner. My room.”
“O-Oppa…”
“Bro…”
Kailan ignored their protests and continued eating.
Anna watched the two, sighed, and picked up her utensils again.
“Reina…”
Haldeir looked at Reina anxiously, unsure what to do as she clung to him.
Then, shooting me a sharp glare, Reina slid off her chair.
“I’m done eating.”
“Reina!”
She turned toward the door, and Haldeir jumped up and chased after her.
“Oh dear… she didn’t eat much…”
Feigning concern, I covered my mouth in mock surprise. Then, as if something had just come to mind, I added:
“Oh! And with all the paperwork piling up in the study, I’ll have to reorganize everything—”
Reina froze mid-step at the mention of the study.
“It’d be best to limit traffic there for now.”
I continued casually, as if I hadn’t noticed her reaction.
“It’s still a mess. Too many people going in and out could cause problems.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Reina stormed out without a word. Haldeir gave me a brief glance before following her.
The rest of dinner ended in heavy silence.
“Reina! Wait!”
“Sniff… Halde, what do we do? They’re definitely going to find out.”
“Don’t worry. I already said it was my fault—”
“Are you stupid?!”
Reina shouted at Haldeir, who was trying to console her while hugging her tightly.
“She said it in front of everyone—that it wasn’t my fault. She made a point of it! On purpose!”
“Ah… sorry. I didn’t hear that part.”
“She totally did it on purpose. Pretended like everything was fine, then brought it up deliberately!”
“But Reina, she said—”
“What?!”
“She said the study was messy because of the paperwork—”
Reina’s face turned bright red with frustration.
Why is he being so dense today?
“Hal! You actually believe that?! It’s so obvious she was talking about us! Why else would she bring it up out of nowhere?!”
“Well… maybe because it was her first time seeing the study too…”
Haldeir’s words, failing to side with her, made Reina shake with anger.
“Haldeir. Are you seriously taking her side right now?!”
“No! I swear I’m not! Reina, I didn’t mean it like that.”
The fact that he called her full name instead of her usual nickname made Haldeir realize just how angry she was.
“You’re saying that woman wasn’t even going to mention it, and I spilled the beans like an idiot out of guilt?!”
Reina’s voice cracked with rage.
Seeing how upset she truly was, Haldeir fidgeted nervously.
“No, Reina. Of course not. I’m always on your side.”
“Sniff… Then why are you only acting like it now?”
“Don’t cry. Your pretty eyes will swell.”
He wiped her tears gently like always. Slowly, Reina began to calm down.
“Sniff… Then why’d you say that earlier?”
“I thought if I stepped in, you’d calm down faster.”
“…Liar.”
“It’s not a lie. Have I ever lied to you?”
He hugged her again, tightly.
Reina stayed nestled in his arms, whispering with her face buried in his chest.
“–He’s gonna be mad… right?”
“Huh? What was that?”
As Haldeir tried to pull back to hear her clearly, Reina curled up tighter.
“Mm-mm…”
She clung to him even more. He had no choice but to keep holding her.
“Reina, can you say it again?”
“Kailan oppa…”
“Yeah?”
“He told me to come to his room…”
“Right. Me too.”
She paused, then whispered,
“He’s probably furious, right?”
“Reina…”
“I’m scared. He’s gonna be so mad. Sniff…”
Thinking about being scolded by Kailan made her tear up again.
He was cold and stoic—a bit intimidating, especially since he had never scolded her before.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll be with you. He won’t be that harsh.”
“But… he looked really mad earlier.”
“He always looks serious. Don’t worry.”
Reina gave a small nod.
“Let’s go wash your face first. It’s all puffy from crying.”
“Okay…”
Haldeir took her hand and led her toward her room, picking up the pace slightly.
“Hal.”
“Yeah?”
“Even though you said all that, I still think she brought it up on purpose.”
“Reina, that—”
She cut him off as they walked.
“I know what you said. But I still feel like she meant it that way.”
“…If that’s how you feel, maybe you’re right.”
All Haldeir could do was agree.
After washing her tear-streaked face, Reina headed with Haldeir to Kailan’s room.
“Hal… I’m nervous.”
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
They finally arrived at the door.
They paused, glanced at each other.
Then Haldeir raised his hand and knocked.
Knock knock—
